World Fair Trade Day on 10th May

Fair Trade is a fair alternative to conventional trade, which can impoverish and exploit farmers and workers. Fair Trade guarantees justice - in wages, in the work environment, in job security, for an ecologically-sound environment, and for both women and men - and no child labour is permitted.

10 May 2008

This year is the second year in a row that Hong Kong will mark WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY, which is always held on the second Saturday of May, and is endorsed by IFAT.

From Noon to 8pm on the day, 10 May, there will be a big FAIR TRADE FAIR at the Star Ferry pier on Hong Kong Island, but it really begins the day before, when Fair Trade Hong Kong is calling on everyone to wear Fair Trade cotton, kick a Fair Trade football, eat and drink some Fair Trade tea, coffee, wine, chocolate, fruit... People can choose what they want to do, but please do something! The event is called FAIR TRADE BREAK, and at 3pm on 10 May, there will be a little party to toast all the FAIR TRADE BREAKS happening around Hong Kong.

Sign up for FAIR TRADE BREAK now:http://www.fairtradehk.org/

Fair Trade in Hong Kong

• Over 50 places sell Fair Trade goods in Hong Kong
• Asia-wide, there are 38 members of International Fair Trade Association or Fairtrade Labelling Organizations, including 13 certified traders of coffee or tea in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China
• Over 1 million farmers and workers in poor countries work under Fair Trade
  Fair Trade products come from about 50 countries
• Over 3,000 Fair Trade products - rice, chocolate, oil, sugar, wine, cotton, handicrafts, footballs, coffee, tea, seeds, dried fruit, herbs, spices, honey, juice, nuts and more
• In Hong Kong, Oxfam has estimated sales from September 2006 to August 2007 to be at least HK$8.4 million
• Worldwide, Fair Trade sales in 2006 exceeded HK$44.5 billion.

(Source: Oxfam Hong Kong)